So, Game 1 pretty much went exactly as expected, right? Right? Guess this is why we love baseball so much, because it never fails to surprise us, even on its grandest stage.

The pertinent question is this: Did the Giants' lopsided Game 1 win over the Tigers fundamentally change the complexion of the series? On one hand, you have to say the answer is yes. Not only did San Francisco take out Justin Verlander in stunning fashion, but history tells us the last 11 home teams that won Game 1 went on to win the World Series.

On the other hand, a big performance tonight from Doug Fister & Co. would get Detroit back on track and even the series up heading back east to Comerica Park. He gets overshadowed by Verlander and others on the Tigers roster, but over his last 17 starts (postseason included) Fister is 8-4 with a 2.52 ERA. That's pretty good.

Just like last night, I'll be hanging out here all night providing my own thoughts and interacting with everyone in the comments section. Please join us as you watch the game…

This will be interesting. Bochy has been pushing many of the right buttons but all signs point to Bochy should have benched Bumgarner in favor of Timmy, but Bumgarner is a lefty and the Tigers do better against RHPs.I'm picking the Tigers 5-4 tonight.

And they're underway. You've got to think this first inning or two is going to be really big for Madison Bumgarner. If he can navigate his way through a couple of scoreless frames, his confidence will soar.

Good stuff from both starters in the first inning, with Bumgarner and Fister each making quick work of the top of the respective lineups.Here's a great stat from ESPN about Dan Iassogna, tonight's plate umpire: 22.4 percent of plate appearances this season with him calling balls and strikes ended in a strikeout. That was the highest percentage among all MLB umps. Something to keep in mind tonight.

I know he nearly beat that throw to the plate, but Prince Fielder never should have been sent by Gene Lamont there. Not with nobody out in the second inning of a scoreless game. The Tigers could've had runners on second and third with nobody out. Instead they were left with a man on second, one out and wound up not scoring at all.Big-time squandered opportunity there.

So let me get this straight. The Giants successfully threw Prince out at the plate, and TimMcC and AJ are arguing about Posey's positioning. Much as it pains me, I gotta side with Timmy on this one. AJ as much as suggested that Posey needed to block the plate more even if he risked injury.

Another comic moment was when TimMcC in yet another example of keen analysis says "that's why you have a second cutoff man, just in case the outfielder misses the first one." And then a few seconds later he says, "credit to Scutaro. How many second basemen would be there."

No matter what happens, Fister needs to go to the hospital and get a CT Scan. He got nailed in the head and MUST ensure there is no brain hemmorage. I can only imagine what Brandon McCarthy felt when he saw that (or hopefully he doesn't see it)

Wow, did you see the way Fister took a direct line drive off the side of head … and had absolutely no reaction. You certainly hope he's OK, but that's the kind of thing where the symptoms of something serious might not show up immediately.

MicheleS said… No matter what happens, Fister needs to go to the hospital and get a CT Scan. He got nailed in the head and MUST ensure there is no brain hemmorage. I can only imagine what Brandon McCarthy felt when he saw that (or hopefully he doesn't see it) October 25, 2012 8:46 PM __________________________________Shocking to see him still in the game. I hope he really is okay.

Fister's team needs to make a decision for him. Several of you are correct about symptoms showing up later. They need to be absolutely hovering over him at this point. No game, not even this one, is worth that risk. Of course, McCarver is the one acting like there is something wrong in his head…

Scutaro deserves to be called out for his pointless head-first slide into first base. Not only is it dangerous, not only does it make it tougher for umpires to make bang-bang calls … but it's also proven to get you to the base slower than running straight through.

Just jumping into the game thread here, after getting some telephone support from Verizon to fix my DVR box.So, swami, you know the great DC Washington? He is far and away the best anthem singer the Nats use on a regular basis. They ought to have him in there a lot more than they do.Very interesting to read Desi's tweet endorsing DC.

Do you get the sense the Tigers are starting to press to make something happen offensively? Sure feels like it, between Fielder getting thrown out at the plate and Infante now getting picked off first base.Really, they're just not catching any breaks. Cabrera hit that line drive as hard as humanly possible but was robbed by Sandoval. Fielder hit the ball well to deep left field, too, just not deep enough.The last thing the Tigers should be doing is trying too hard to score a run. They've got too good a lineup to be held in check for long.

Mark Zuckerman said… Scutaro deserves to be called out for his pointless head-first slide into first base. Not only is it dangerous, not only does it make it tougher for umpires to make bang-bang calls … but it's also proven to get you to the base slower than running straight through. October 25, 2012 9:06 PM__________________________________ John Brenkus of ESPN Sport Science analyzes whether it's faster for base runners to dive into first base or run through the bag.http://espn.go.com/high-school/baseball/video/clip?id=6571277

Dave- yes, have worked with him. Did the Messiah with him several times- great privilege to accompany him. He is not the biggest baseball fan and is amused that I consider those appearances to be a huge deal. I wish they would ask him more often, especially for special events. Haven't seen him in a while, though. That is his actual name, by the way.

Mark Zuckerman said… Really, they're just not catching any breaks. Cabrera hit that line drive as hard as humanly possible but was robbed by Sandoval. October 25, 2012 9:11 PM _______________________________First of all a great play. Second, was that great scouting or more Giants luck to have Sandoval so close to the line as I'd expect him 2 to 3 further to his left in the early innings of the game.

Gonat: Thanks for the video evidence confirming my suspicion! To me, the only time it makes sense to dive into first base is if there's a chance the first baseman might try to tag you. That obviously wasn't the case on the Scutaro play tonight.

Now this is a game I can get behind. Tense, pitchers duel. If I had a stake in this game, I would be breaking out the bourbon and the maalox.And yes Romo is chatty. better to listen to him than Buck and McCarver.

SF radio team on Fielder's dive to get that foul: "It did knock a couple of pictures out of tilt up here."Yes, I know I'm at least a full minute behind the real world, but the radio guys are so vastly superior to the Fox doofuses that I'll accept being late.

Swami, I would love to know whom we need to talk to to get the Nats to use DC for the anthem more. His rendition is classic, and he wastes no time. I can even stand listening to GBA in the 7th inning when he does it.

I don't know, Dave. I do know that he was asked quite often back in the RFK days. He lives nearby- I should ask around about him to see if he is still active or if he has retired. Doubt it. Last time I saw him was at a funeral and so I canned the baseball talk for once.

Well, Fister hasn't allowed a hit since he got hit in the head. And we've got ourselves a real pitchers' duel here, scoreless through five. Feels like the kind of game where one clutch hit in a big spot could be all that's needed.

Dave/swami, I know DC Washington as well. Super nice guy and a great singer. He told me that in addition to his scheduled appearance, they sometimes call him as a last minute substitute when a scheduled singer can't make it for some reason. After eight years of anthems, the Nats have lots of folks they invite back year after year, plus the winners of the open auditions they have. It's rare for anyone to perform more than once a season with the limited number of spots they have. I don't think that lobbying for a particular performer to be asked more often will have any effect. I'm sure they know people like DCW.

So – posters here, folks on twitter, facebook, texting me during games – everyone is commenting on how terrible these guys are on tv – embarassing, almost. This is the World Series – there are tons of qualified people who would do a great job. It's the world series, so I will watch. So nothing will change. Is this particular network completely clueless as to how bad this is? Do they have a permanent contract or something?

I am baffled at the low quality of the post-season announcers in general. Fox, TBS–the same couple of mediocre guys each year do the same mediocre job of it.Remember back in the day when the major broadcast networks had these contracts every year? When the likes of Vin Scully had the network call?Listening to Jon Miller on KNBR San Francisco reminds me of those days. Just vastly superior to Buck and McCarver.

Nattering, I'm doing the daily routine of starting the radio feed on my iPhone, then sitting down with my DVR and delaying it until it more-or-less matches the TV.I pause the DVR the moment a first pitch to a new batter hits the catcher's mitt. Then when I hear that sound on the radio feed, I hit play. I've currently got it within about a half-second of synchronized. Close enough for me. The radio and TV in the Stars & Stripes Club is not as close as I've got it right now.

I have had enough. What radio station are you using? I tried to find the game in the car earlier and couldn't find it. Help – save me from this garbage. This is a tremendous world series game and you would not know it from listening to these guys.

I'm doing it through the MLB At Bat app on my iPhone. I think I tried it once with the Gameday Audio and it worked okay, too.But both require spending a little money. I find the $15 a year I spend on the At Bat audio subscription to be some of the best money I spend every year. Supposed to be on ESPN radio, but I don't know what station carries that feed in the DC area. I looked around during the NLCS and couldn't find it.

I meant Gameday Audio via the MLB.com website–that thing where you can watch pitch-by-pitch. That one costs a bit more per year (I don't know why), but it's still relative cheap. Less than $30 for a year. They might have it pro-rated to dirt cheap right now, not sure.

swami, I'm on AM 980, ESPN radio.Dave, very obsessive–um, meticulous–of you! I admire that degree of precision, really, but I kind of don't mind the lag. Truth be told, often during Nats games I am listening to Charlie and Dave, who usually are about 6 seconds ahead of MASN. Especially when upstairs, but even when I see the TV, I hear the excited voices on radio and am able to catch whatever the play is on TV a few seconds later. Works for me, also calms me down during high-stress games, of which there were many (were there any that were NOT?).

Man, this is turning into something epic. What a duel between Fister and Bumgarner. FYI: The last World Series scoreless game to reach the eighth inning was Game 4 in 2005 between the White Sox and Astros. The last scoreless game to reach the ninth inning was perhaps the greatest World Series game ever: Game 7 in 1991 between the Twins and Braves.

I may be in the minority here, but I actually agree with Jim Leyland playing his infield back there, even though it helped the Giants score the night's first run. Playing the infield in does increase the chance of a forceout at the plate, but it also increases the chance of a big inning. With the bases loaded and nobody out, you're really in danger of a big inning. Yes, they conceded a run late in a scoreless game, but the Tigers are going to have to score to win this game no matter what. A 1-0 deficit is much easier to overcome than 2-0 or 3-0.

NatsLady said… When the bases are loaded with no outs the probable run expectancy is 2.417. October 25, 2012 10:41 PM _________________________________Unless you have Ryan "2 Pitch" Mattheus on the mound!

NatsLady said… With the bases loaded and no one out, the chance that a run will score in the inning is 87.7% (for the years 1993-2010). October 25, 2012 10:48 PM ________________________________Its a good thing that Ryan Mattheus spits on stats like that!

Mark Zuckerman said… I think my biggest mistake in predicting this series was severely underestimating just how fundamentally sound the Giants are … and just how unfundamentally sound the Tigers are. October 25, 2012 11:02 PM ___________________________________That Detroit layoff last week after sweeping the Yankees I think really slowed them down. Their bats have been ice cold.

Dave, NN, 222, etc:The line against the McCarverization of America forms directly behind me. I couldn't stand this guy when he was just a so-so catcher for the Cards and Phils. I totally blame Steve Carlton for inflicting this guy on our nation. If Carlton had talked to the media, nobody would have ever talked to McCarver when he was the Phils' catcher. And nobody would have made the dreadful mistake of handing him a network microphone.Joe Buck deserves combat pay: he spends his entire year sitting next to either Timmie or Troy Aikman. Eeeesh.

Man, what a performance by the Giants pitching staff. Sergio Romo didn't even let the Tigers get a whiff of a comeback in the ninth. They are now in complete control of the series, up two games to none. It's not unprecedented to blow a 2-0 lead — 21 percent of all World Series teams down 2-0 came back to win — but it's an uphill climb for Detroit. And it doesn't help that San Francisco's two best pitchers (Ryan Vogelsong and Matt Cain) get to pitch Games 3 and 4.Thanks again for following along tonight. See you Saturday for Game 3!

Note the following comment about how Bochy did EXACTLY what Davey did–not walking Kozma after Descalso stole second base. Results different, narrative different, but, as I said before, Davey managed correctly. Davey doesn't like giving away free bases.He’s [Bochy's] also not giving away baserunners. In the second inning of Game 7 against the Cardinals, Matt Cain was pitching with runners on first and third, one out and No. 8 hitter Pete Kozma at the plate. Daniel Descalso went on to steal second. Had Mike Matheny been managing the Giants, there’s a good chance the steal would have led to an intentional walk of Kozma, setting up the double play with the pitcher up. Bochy, though, let Cain face Kozma, got a strikeout and then retired Lohse on a soft liner. As a result, it was inning over, instead of Jon Jay potentially being up with the bases loaded and two outs.

Loved the story of his draft day call to grandpa, the LAD fan. :-)MicheleS said… Okay. so I have seen a couple of interviews with Sergio Romo, and well, I can get behind that guy. Truly appreciates being in the game. He could trim up the facial hair. October 25, 2012 9:16 PM